It's been just over a week since the earthquake in Christchurch, the second major one since we've been in Dunedin. First and foremost, I want to thank you for all of your concern. We have felt the love and cares of family and friends across the world from your emails, Facebook messages, phone calls, etc. If you've called or emailed our parents, they've passed on the messages. Thank you for thinking of us and of all of New Zealand.
The first Christchurch quake was on September 4th. It measured a 7.1 on the Richter Scale, was 30km west of Christchurch and 16km down. While the February 22nd quake measured only 6.3, it was only 10km outside the city, and sadly, only at a depth of 5km. Click on the picture above to see a larger version. It shows the different locations and all the aftershocks for each one. The central business district is what took the biggest hit and is probably where most of the pictures you are seeing are from. Most of the Chch suburbs are a mess - if a home is still standing, there is a high probability it doesn't have water or power. We live in Dunedin which is about 4.5 hours south of Christchurch. Even though I didn't feel the quake at work, both Todd and Elena felt it in their respective locations.
New Zealand is a pretty tiny country, so it feels like everyone has family or friends in Christchurch. Lots of people have been taking in their family who are desperate to escape the mess in Chch and the constant aftershocks. As any community would do, this entire country has pulled together to help their mates. Kiwis have a can-do and will-do spirit, and they got right to it.
One of the coolest things EVER is the
University of Canterbury Student Army. This was formed after the September 4th quake by students at UC whose classes were canceled. They put themselves to work helping out in the community. After the Feb 22nd quake, they got right back into action and have been incredible. They use Facebook, texting, and social media to organize thousands of volunteers. They are working with Civil Defence, the Red Cross, and all of the other first responders to have an unbelievable impact in their community. It is an organizational wonder. Even if you only do it for a few days,
LIKE them on Facebook and check out their pictures, updates, and the inspiration they are providing to everyone in New Zealand.
Students at Otago here in Dunedin organized a pack lunch drive. The goal was to send 10,000 non-perishable packed lunches to volunteers in Chch, including the UC Student Volunteer Army. The response to the drive, organized in less than 48 hours, was overwhelming. Dunedin and people in the surrounding areas dropped off enough lunches and supplies that 17,000 lunches were sent to Christchurch. We were on campus when this was happening getting ready for our final Orientation show and watched people drop off lunches for all day long.
Click here to read the article about the effort from the Otago Daily Times website. If the link is broken,
click here to read a PDF copy of the article.
On Tuesday, a week after the quake, the entire country observed two minutes of silence at 12:51pm. Kitty and I joined hundreds of people in the Octagon here in Dunedin for a short service. People dressed in red and black, the colors of Canterbury (the 'state' that Christchurch is located in), to show their support for their countrymen up the road.
Click here to read the ODT article about the service (
for a PDF of the article click here) and
here to see pictures from around the south of how people observed the two minutes of silence.
So, we're safe and sound, and we hope that Christchurch will also be safe and sound and still sooner rather than later. If you want to help Christchurch, the best thing to do is to donate to the
Red Cross via their website. If you want to wear your support,
buy one of these cool t-shirts from NZ designer Mr. Vintage - 100% of the proceeds will be going to The Canterbury SPCA, St. John (the national ambulance service), Victim Support, and The Salvation Army. I ordered this one on Tuesday.
Aroha Christchurch.
No comments:
Post a Comment